Thrown-together dish has a lot going for it - and in it

From growing up on a farm in Indiana to opening Hash House A Go Go in Hillcrest nearly 10 years ago, Andy Beardslee has slung a lot of hash. Wild boar. Buffalo shoulder. Lamb. And of course, corned beef.

A quintessential breakfast dish often associated with diners and truck stops, hash is finely chopped meat, potatoes and seasonings, usually fried together until lightly browned. However, by incorporating odds and ends from the fridge and pantry, hash is just as easy and quick to prepare as it is to dine out.

“Hash is just fun,” Beardslee said. “A lot of people grew up with hash from a can. I had that, too, when I was young.

“Later on, my mom started making hash with anything in the refrigerator and potatoes. You always have potatoes around, and you can make a cool, one-pan hash every day of the week from whatever you find in the fridge.”

Just think of the possibilities with the remains of your Thanksgiving feast. Leftover roast turkey and cooked veggies and potatoes lend themselves particularly well to hash, because it’s just a matter of heating it all up.

“You can be your own chef and customize it how you like,” said Beardslee. “It’s very hard to screw up hash. I think that is how it became so popular over the years.”

While there are no hard-and-fast rules for assembling this basically foolproof stovetop dish, there are a few considerations. And preferences.

Ballast being such a personal thing, Beardslee says people can use any spud they like, but he is a devotee of red potatoes. He insists they have a superior flavor and texture, getting crispier than some tubers, and helping keep the whole mélange together.

In his Leftover Thanksgiving Hash — an impromptu creation he conjured up during the interview for this story — he included red onions, dried cranberries and green beans to achieve his trademark red-and-green effect.

Leftover Thanksgiving Hash

4 servings

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided use

2 cups mashed potatoes

1⁄2 cup red onion, chopped

1 tablespoon garlic

2 cups roast turkey, shredded or chopped

11⁄2 cups cooked butternut squash

1⁄2 cup cooked green beans (or other green vegetable)

2 cups shredded smoked mozzarella

4 eggs, scrambled, optional

1⁄2 cup turkey gravy, warmed

Dried cranberries, for garnish

In a nonstick skillet, melt butter and 1 tablespoon oil. Add mashed potatoes and flatten down slightly with a spatula. Cook until slightly crispy on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until slightly crispy on the other side, another 5 minutes.

In another skillet, heat remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil and sauté onions and garlic until translucent. Add turkey, squash and green beans and cook, stirring frequently, until heated through. Add smoked mozzarella and cook until cheese is melted.

Slide hash on top of crispy mashed potatoes. Divide into 4 portions and place on plates. Top each portion with 1 scrambled egg, if desired. Drizzle turkey gravy and sprinkle dried cranberries over each portion and serve immediately.

(From Andy Beardslee, chef/owner of Hash House A Go Go)

Spicy Idaho Potato Hash

6 to 8 servings

2 medium russet potatoes, skin on, diced small

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 thick slices bacon, diced small

4 jalapeños, seeded, finely chopped

4 scallions, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme

1 teaspoon paprika

1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne

Salt and pepper to taste

4 to 5 cups cooked turkey meat, shredded

1⁄4 cup chicken or turkey stock

Fresh chopped scallion to taste

Flour as needed for dusting

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or rendered bacon fat, for frying patties

In a pot over medium heat, bring cold water and diced potatoes to simmer. Cook until potatoes are easily pierced with knife. Drain potatoes; set aside.

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon; sauté until fat renders and bacon is lightly browned but still soft, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add turkey meat, stock and reserved potatoes. Cook over medium to high heat, stirring frequently to break up meat and potatoes, until stock absorbs into meat and potatoes, 6 to 8 minutes. (This process will bind hash.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. Finish with fresh scallion. Spread mixture on baking pan to cool.

Form hash into 3- to 4-inch patties. Refrigerate patties for 1 hour to help them hold shape while cooking.

Heat vegetable oil or bacon fat in large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot but not smoking, sprinkle patties very lightly with flour, then add to pan. Fry patties until golden brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

In a 12-inch skillet or sauté pan, preferably cast iron, melt the butter over medium heat and swirl to coat the pan. Add the potatoes and onion and sauté for about 1 minutes until just coated with butter. Cover and cook for 7 minutes to steam the potatoes, stirring once. Add the celery and bell pepper, stir briefly, then cover and cook for 3 minutes longer. Uncover the pan, raise the heat to medium-high, and add the salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes until the potatoes are lightly browned.

Gently fold in the turkey, tarragon and parsley and cook for about 2 minutes just until the turkey is heated through. Using a large spoon, make 6 shallow depressions in the hash, spacing them equally around the pan, with one in the center. Crack an egg into each hollowed-out spot. Cover pan and cook 5 minutes until whites are set and yolks are runny. Garnish with a sprinkling of tarragon. Pass the hot sauce.